Instrument navigation in computer-assisted hip surgery

ABSTRACT

A computer-assisted surgery system comprises a calibrating instrument adapted to be applied to a pelvis in a known manner, and a surgical instrument. A computer-assisted processor unit operating a surgical assistance procedure and comprises at least one portable inertial sensor unit configured to be connected to the at least one calibrating instrument and the at least one surgical instrument, the portable inertial sensor unit outputting readings representative of its orientation. A geometrical relation data module provides a geometrical relation data between the orientation of the portable inertial sensor unit, of the calibrating instrument and of the surgical instrument. A coordinate system module sets a coordinate system of the pelvis in which an anterior-posterior axis of the pelvis is generally in a direction of gravity, and in which a medio-lateral axis of the pelvis is obtained from readings of the at least one portable inertial sensor unit on the calibrating instrument using the geometrical relation data therebetween. A tracking module tracks movements of the at least one surgical instrument relative to the coordinate system using readings from the inertial sensor unit on the surgical instrument using the geometrical relation data therebetween, and calculates navigation data for the movements, the navigation data relating the orientation of the surgical instrument to the orientation of the pelvis. An interface outputs the navigation data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a divisional application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/934,894, filed on Nov. 6, 2015, which claims thepriority on U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/076,123, filed onNov. 6, 2014, and incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to computer-assisted surgery usinginertial sensors and more particularly to acetabular cup positioningprocedure in hip surgery.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

In hip arthroplasty, the acetabulum is reamed to subsequently receivetherein an acetabular cup. The acetabular cup is an implant that isreceived in the reamed acetabulum and serves as a receptacle for afemoral head or femoral head implant. Accordingly, tools such as areamer and a cup impactor are used in the procedure. One of thechallenges in such procedures is to provide an adequate orientation tothe acetabular cup. Indeed, an inaccurate orientation may result in aloss of movements, improper gait, and/or premature wear of implantcomponents. For example, the acetabular cup is typically positioned inthe reamed acetabulum by way of an impactor. The impactor has a stem atan end of which is the acetabular cup. The stem is handled by anoperator that impacts the free end so as to drive the acetabular cupinto the acetabulum. It may however be important that the operator holdsthe stem of the impactor in a precise three-dimensional orientationrelative to the pelvis so as to ensure the adequate orientation of theacetabular cup, in terms of inclination and anteversion.

For this purpose, computer-assisted surgery has been used in hip surgeryin order to help the operator in positioning and orienting the reamerand the impactor to a desired orientation. Among the various trackingtechnologies used in computer-assisted surgery, optical navigation,C-arm validation and manual reference guides have been used. The opticalnavigation requires the use of a navigation system, which adds operativetime. It also requires pinning a reference on the patient, which adds tothe invasiveness of the procedure. Moreover, it is bound toline-of-sight constraints which hamper the normal surgical flow. C-armvalidation requires the use of bulky equipment and the validation is notcost effective. Moreover, it does not provide a quantitative assessmentof the cup positioning once done, and is generally used post-operativelyas opposed to intra-operatively. Finally, manual jigs, such as anA-frame, do not account for the position of the patient on the operativetable.

Accordingly, inertial sensors are used for their cost effectiveness andthe valuable information they provide.

SUMMARY

Therefore, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure,there is provided a method for navigating a surgical instrument relativeto a pelvis in computer-assisted hip surgery comprising: with a patientin a supine position on a table plane: creating a coordinate system fora pelvis with an inertial sensor unit, the coordinate system using adirection of gravity for setting an anterior-posterior axis of thepelvis, and comprising a medio-lateral axis of the pelvis; tracking theinertial sensor unit coordinate system of the pelvis; setting anorientation of at least one surgical instrument with an inertial sensorunit thereon by determining three rotational degrees of freedom of theinstrument in the coordinate system of the pelvis; tracking movements ofthe at least one surgical instrument relative to the coordinate systemusing readings from the inertial sensor unit on the surgical instrument;and outputting navigation data for the movements, the navigation datarelating the orientation of the surgical instrument to the orientationof the pelvis.

Further in accordance with the embodiment of the present disclosure,outputting navigation data comprises outputting anteversion and/orinclination angles of the surgical instrument relative to the pelvis.

Still further in accordance with the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, creating the coordinate system for the pelvis comprisesobtaining the medio-lateral axis from an instrument supporting theinertial sensor unit applied to the anterior-superior iliac spines ofthe pelvis.

Still further in accordance with the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, creating the coordinate system comprises setting acranial-caudal axis of the coordinate system of the pelvis as across-product of the anterior-posterior axis and of the medio-lateralaxis.

Still further in accordance with the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, creating the coordinate system comprises obtaining a tilt ofthe pelvis relative to the medio-lateral axis relative and to acranial-caudal axis from an instrument supporting the inertial sensorunit applied to the pelvis, and further comprises aligning theantero-posterior axis and the medio-lateral axis with said tilt.

Still further in accordance with the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, obtaining the frontal tilt of the pelvis comprises obtainingthe tilt from the instrument applied to at least one of theanterior-superior iliac spines of the pelvis and to a pubic tubercle.

Still further in accordance with the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, creating the coordinate system comprises obtaining a lateraltilt of the pelvis relative to a cranial-caudal axis of the coordinatesystem from an instrument supporting the inertial sensor unit applied tothe pelvis, and further comprises aligning the medio-lateral axis withsaid lateral tilt.

Still further in accordance with the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, obtaining the lateral tilt of the pelvis relative to themedio-lateral axis comprises obtaining the lateral tilt from theinstrument applied to the anterior-superior iliac spines of the pelvis.

Still further in accordance with the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the inertial sensor unit used in creating the coordinatesystem and the inertial sensor unit connected to the at least onesurgical instrument is the same.

Still further in accordance with the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the coordinate system of the pelvis is updated after settingthe orientation of the at least one instrument.

Still further in accordance with the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, an orientation of the instrument is reset by obtainingreadings from any one of the inertial sensor unit secured to the pelvis.

Still further in accordance with the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, resetting an orientation of the at least one instrument inthe coordinate system comprises obtaining readings from the inertialsensor unit on the surgical instrument with the surgical instrumentbeing oriented in a known orientation relative to the pelvis.

Still further in accordance with the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, obtaining readings from the inertial sensor unit in theknown orientation comprises obtaining readings from the inertial sensorunit when a planar light source on the instrument points to landmarks onthe pelvis.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, thereis provided a computer-assisted surgery system comprising: at least onecalibrating instrument adapted to be applied to a pelvis in a knownmanner; at least one surgical instrument; a computer-assisted processorunit operating a surgical assistance procedure and comprising: at leastone portable inertial sensor unit configured to be connected to the atleast one calibrating instrument and the at least one surgicalinstrument, the portable inertial sensor unit outputting readingsrepresentative of its orientation; a geometrical relation data moduleproviding a geometrical relation data between the orientation of theportable inertial sensor unit, of the at least one calibratinginstrument and of the at least one surgical instrument; a coordinatesystem module for setting a coordinate system of the pelvis in which ananterior-posterior axis of the pelvis is generally in a direction ofgravity, and in which a medio-lateral axis of the pelvis is obtainedfrom readings of the at least one portable inertial sensor unit on theat least one calibrating instrument using the geometrical relation datatherebetween; a tracking module for tracking movements of the at leastone surgical instrument relative to the coordinate system using readingsfrom the inertial sensor unit on the surgical instrument using thegeometrical relation data therebetween, and calculating navigation datafor the movements, the navigation data relating the orientation of thesurgical instrument to the orientation of the pelvis; and an interfacefor outputting the navigation data.

Further in accordance with the other embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the at least one calibrating instrument is a medio-lateraldigitizer adapted to contact anterior-superior iliac spines of thepelvis, and further wherein the coordinate system module obtains alateral tilt of the pelvis relative to a cranial-caudal axis of thecoordinate system from the medio-lateral digitizer and aligns themedio-lateral axis with said lateral tilt.

Still further in accordance with the other embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the at least one calibrating instrument is adapted tocontact anterior-superior iliac spines and a pubic tubercle of thepelvis, and further wherein the coordinate system module obtains a tiltof the pelvis relative to a cranial-caudal axis and to the medio-lateralaxis of the coordinate system, and aligns the antero-posterior axis andthe medio-lateral axis with said lateral tilt.

Still further in accordance with the other embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the surgical instrument is one of an impactor and anacetabulum reamer.

Still further in accordance with the other embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the geometrical relation data module, the coordinate systemmodule and the tracking module are integrated in the at least oneportable inertial sensor unit.

Still further in accordance with the other embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a stand-alone processing device with an interfacecommunicates with the at least one portable inertial sensor unit, thestand-alone processing device concurrently operating the surgicalassistance procedure to provide guidance to a user.

Still further in accordance with the other embodiment of the presentdisclosure, an updated orientation module has a known orientation of theinertial sensor unit relative to the pelvis, and wherein the coordinatesystem module updates an orientation of the surgical instrument in thecoordinate system using readings of the at least one portable inertialsensor unit when in said known orientation.

Still further in accordance with the other embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a support structure is adapted to be secured to the pelvisand having a mount for the portable inertial sensor unit, said knownorientation comprising the portable inertial sensor unit in the supportstructure.

Still further in accordance with the other embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the at least one surgical instrument has a light sourcethereon emitting a planar beam, the known orientation comprising the atleast one surgical instrument projecting the planar beam onpredetermined landmarks of the pelvis.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic view of a system for navigating instruments incomputer-assisted hip surgery;

FIG. 1B is a schematic view of an inertial sensor unit of the system ofFIG. 1A; and

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a method for navigating an instrument incomputer-assisted hip surgery in accordance with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 2, a method fornavigating an instrument in computer-assisted hip surgery is generallyshown at 10. The purpose of method 10 is to accurately navigate surgicalinstruments used in hip arthroplasty or like procedures, such as anacetabular reamer, a cup impactor, an impactor guiding pin, usinginertial sensors. By navigating instruments, the present disclosurerefers to the process of providing orientation data relating aninstrument to a bone, to guide an operator in performing surgicalmaneuvers of the instrument relative to the bone.

Referring to FIG. 1A, a system for navigating instruments incomputer-assisted hip surgery is generally shown at 1, and is of thetype used to implement the method 10, as will be detailed below. Thesystem 1 comprises a computer-assisted surgery (CAS) processing unit 2,shown as a stand-alone unit in FIG. 1. It is however pointed out thatthe CAS processing unit 2 may be integrated into one or more inertialsensor units A, also known as pods that are mounted to the variousdevices and instruments of the system 10, or as a module of a computeror portable device, among other possibilities.

For instance, one of the inertial sensor units A is shown in FIG. 1B.The system 1 may have one or more of the inertial sensor units A, with asingle one being shown in FIG. 1B for clarity. The inertial sensor unitA incorporates the processing unit 2 and may thus be equipped with auser interface(s) 3 to provide the navigation data, whether it be in theform of LED displays, screens, numerical displays, etc. Alternatively,the inertial sensor unit A may be connected to a stand-alone processingdevice B that would include a screen or like monitor, to provideadditional display capacity and surface. By way of example, theprocessing device B is a wireless portable device such as a tablet in awired or wireless communication with the inertial sensor unit A.

The inertial sensor unit A may be known as micro-electro-mechanicalsensors (MEMS) and may include one or more of inertial sensors 4, suchas accelerometers, gyroscopes, inclinometers, magnetometers, among otherpossible inertial sensors. The inertial sensors 4 are sourceless sensorsautomatically providing data influenced by natural phenomena, such asgravity. The inertial sensor unit A also have a body, typically definedby a casing, giving the inertial sensor unit A a connector 5, by whichthe inertial sensor unit A may be secured to instruments and tools asdescribed hereinafter.

The processing unit 2 comprises different modules to perform thenavigation. A surgical flow module 2A may be used in conjunction withthe user interface 3 or a processing device B to guide the operatorthrough the steps leading to the navigation, e.g., the steps of method10. This may entail providing a step-by-step guidance to the operator,and prompting the operator to perform actions, for instance pressing ona “record” interface that is part of the interface 3, for the system 1to record instant orientations. While this occurs throughout thesurgical procedure, the prompting and interactions between the system 1and the user will not be described in a remainder of the description, asthey will implicitly occur. It is contemplated to have the surgical flowmodule 2A present in the processing device B, with concurrent actionbetween the inertial sensor unit A and the processing device B to guidethe operator to navigation and surgery, and with a communication withthe operator to record the progress of the procedure.

A tracking module 2B may also be part of the processing unit 2. Thetracking module 2B receives readings from the inertial sensors 4, andconverts these readings to useful information, i.e., the navigationdata. As described above, the navigation data may be orientation datarelating an instrument to the pelvis. In order to output the navigationdata via the user interface 3 or processing device B, the processingunit 2 may be preprogrammed with geometrical relation data module 2C.The geometrical relation data module 2C is the three-dimensionalrelation between the inertial sensor unit A via its connector 5 andinstruments and tools. The inertial sensor unit A is designed such thatits connector 5 may be connected in a single possible orientation to theinstruments and tools, such that the orientation of the inertial sensorunit A is known relative to the instruments and tools to which it isconnected when turned on. By way of the connector 5 and the geometricalrelation data module 2C, the inertial sensor units A may be portable anddetachable units, used with one device/instrument, and then transferredto another device/instrument, preserving in the process orientation dataof the global coordinate system.

The coordinate system module 2D creates the coordinate system during thesteps of method 10 leading to navigation, and may subsequently beupdated. The coordinate system 2D is the virtual frame by which theorientation of the instruments and tools is related to the orientationof the bone.

The known orientation module 2E is used in an updating of the coordinatesystem, and represents a known orientation between the inertial sensorunit A and the pelvis, by which the system 1 may update the coordinatesystem.

Referring to FIG. 1A, calibrating instruments or devices that may beused with the system 1 include non-exhaustively a medio-lateraldigitizer 13, a three-pronged registration device 14, an acetabular rimdigitizer 15, all of which are used to define the coordinate system forthe pelvis, a.k.a. world coordinate system, global coordinate system,pelvic frame of reference, etc, for subsequent navigation. Surgicalinstruments that may subsequently be used with the system 1 includenon-exhaustively a cup impactor 16, an acetabular reamer 17, an impactorguiding pin, a support structure 18, etc. The geometrical relation datamodule 2C is programmed in to the inertial sensor unit A for specificuse with the devices and instruments described above. Accordingly, whenan inertial sensor unit A is mounted to one of the devices andinstruments, the relation between the device/instrument and a coordinatesystem of the inertial sensor unit A is known (in contrast to a globalcoordinate system) and part of the geometrical relation data module 2C.For example, the relation may be between an axis or a 3D coordinatesystem of the device/instrument and the coordinate system of theinertial sensor unit A.

The navigation of instruments is intended to mean tracking at least someof the degrees of freedom of orientation in real-time or quasi-realtime, such that the operator is provided with navigation data calculatedby computer assistance, which navigation data is representative of hipsurgery parameters, such as anteversion and inclination, among otherexamples. The inertial sensors A used in the following method may beinterrelated in the global coordinate system (hereinafter, coordinatesystem), provided appropriate steps are taken to record or calibrate theorientation of the inertial sensors A in the coordinate system. Thecoordinate system serves as a reference to quantify the relativeorientation of the different items of the surgery, i.e., the instrumentsand devices relative to the pelvis.

The method 10 generally comprises different subprocedures. According to10, the patient is placed in a supine position (lying on his/her back)on the table plane, and the subsequent subprocedures will be based onthe orientation of the patient in the supine position, as the supineposition will influence the subprocedures. According to 30, the pelviccoordinate system is created. According to 40, the navigated instrumentis initialized. According to 50, the instrument is navigated. Accordingto 60, the orientation of the navigated instrument in the pelviccoordinate system is updated. Other subprocedures to method 10 may beadded in any appropriate sequence. For instance, while not part of thesteps of the method described herein, resection of the femur may beperformed to expose the acetabulum.

Creation of the Coordinate System 30 and Tracking

In order to create the coordinate system 30, i.e., register the pelvicorientation as (also known as pelvic tilt), the orientation of thepelvis must be determined relative to the coordinate system. When thepatient lies in a supine position, i.e., lying on his/her back, thecoordinate system may be defined as follows:

-   -   A first axis, referred to as a Z axis, is generally aligned with        gravity (i.e., normal to a ground plane), and representative of        an anterior-posterior direction. As seen hereinafter, the        orientation of the Z axis may be adjusted as influenced by a        pelvic tilt;    -   A second axis, referred to as an X axis is aligned with the        medio-lateral axis of the patient projected on the table plane,        the table plane matching the ground plane. The medio-lateral        axis extends in a lateral direction, e.g., from one        anterior-superior iliac spine (ASIS) to another; and    -   A third axis, referred to as a Y axis, is the cross-product        between the Z axis and the X axis, and is representative of a        cranial-caudal direction.

The above axes are one among numerous possibilities. For example, it maybe the X axis that is aligned with gravity, the X, Y and Z nomenclaturebeing used as convention for the present case. As another example, the Xaxis may be the medio-lateral axis of the patient, i.e., not aprojection thereof on the table plane, etc. Stated differently, thedefinition of the coordinate system may be arbitrary, and may hence haveany appropriate definition other than the ones described above. However,the above-referred definition is practical in that the axes are alignedwith known landmarks, such as gravity and the table plane.

According to an embodiment, in order to register the pelvic orientation30, the patient radiographical plane is defined as being aligned withthe table plane. Hence, the pelvis of the patient lying in supineposition is assumed to be without lateral tilt (i.e., about the Y axis)or anterior-posterior tilt (i.e., about the X axis). In such anembodiment, navigation angles (e.g., inclination) will be measured withreference to the medio-lateral axis projected on the table plane duringnavigation 50, as the table plane is deemed to be parallel to thefrontal plane of the patient.

Alternatively, in accordance with other embodiments, no assumptions maybe made regarding the pelvic tilt, whereby maneuvers must be made toproceed with the registration of the pelvic orientation 30. For example,according to an embodiment, registration is performed using thethree-pronged registration device 14 (FIG. 1A) equipped with aninclinometer positioned at a fixed orientation relative to the planeformed by the three prongs. The prongs could be positioned on threelandmarks defining a patient frontal plane (i.e., contra-lateral ASIS,lateral ASIS and pubic tubercle). The three-pronged registration device14 would be used to measure both the lateral tilt of the pelvis and theanterior/posterior tilt of the pelvis. The pelvic tilt data measured bythe inclinometer would be recorded by the inertial sensor unit A usingthe geometrical relation data module 2C knowing the relation between theinertial sensor unit A and the three-pronged registration device 14, andrecorded as part of the coordinate system in the coordinate systemmodule 2D. In recording the pelvic tilt, the system 1 may orient themedio-lateral axis and/or cranial-caudal axis to match the measuredpelvic tilt.

In another embodiment, a device such as an acetabulum rim digitizer 15(FIG. 1A) may be used to determine the current inclination of thepelvis. The acetabulum rim digitizer 15 may be used with pre-operativeimagery to evaluate rim orientation relative to pelvic orientation. Theacetabulum rim digitizer 15 may include a patient-specific surface,machined to be a negative of a bone surface for high accuracycomplementary engagement. An exemplary rim digitizer 15 is as shown inUS Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0031722, incorporated hereinby reference.

In yet another embodiment, a medio-lateral digitizer 13 may be used withan inertial sensor unit A secured thereon, based on the assumption thatthe cranial-caudal axis (i.e., longitudinal axis) of the patient insupine position is parallel to the ground plane (i.e., noantero-posterior tilt of the patient frontal plane with regards to theradiographical plane, or table plane). The medio-lateral digitizer 13may be as described in US Patent Application Publication No.2014/0031829, incorporated herein by reference, and is thus used tomeasure the lateral tilt of the pelvis. The medio-lateral digitizer 13may be adjustable in size to have its ends contact two landmarks of thepelvis. For example, the medio-lateral digitizer 13 may contact the twoASIS to determine an orientation of the medio-lateral axis relative tothe table plane, and hence provide sufficient data for the globalcoordinate system to be complete. The pelvic tilt data measured by theinertial sensor unit A on the medio-lateral digitizer 13 would berecorded using the geometrical relation data module 2C knowing therelation between the inertial sensor unit A and medio-lateral digitizer13, and recorded as part of the coordinate system of the coordinatesystem module 2D. In recording the pelvic tilt, the system 1 may orientthe medio-lateral axis to match the measured pelvic tilt, i.e. alignsthe medio-lateral axis with the pelvic tilt. It is observed that anorientation of the antero-posterior axis may be adjusted or corrected aswell by the realignment of the medio-lateral axis, whereby theantero-posterior axis is generally aligned with gravity as generalpointing in the same direction, although not parallel to one another.

The pelvic tilt data measured by the inertial sensor unit A of themedio-lateral digitizer 3 would then be part of the coordinate system asset by the coordinate system module 2D, and taken into considerationwhen initializing the instruments in 40 for subsequent navigation in 50.

As a result of the creating of the coordinate system with the coordinatesystem module 2D, the orientation of the pelvis is used as a referenceby the tracking module 2B of the inertial sensor unit A. According to anembodiment, the tracking module performs dead reckoning to maintain itsreference to the coordinate system of the pelvis, using gyroscopereadings from the inertial sensors 4. Dead reckoning implies theintegration of all the angular velocity data through time to evaluatethe rotation of the inertial sensor unit A, thus allowing the trackingof its orientation in space.

It may be necessary to repeat step 30 in the event that the pelvismoves. For example, some of the steps described hereinafter, and othersteps such as impacting a cup C, may result in the movement of thepelvis on the table. The system may hence prompt the user to repeat thestep 30.

Setting Instrument Orientation 40

According to the setting 40 of the orientation of the navigatedinstrument, the orientation of any of the instruments 16, 17, etc is set(i.e., recorded) in the global coordinate system, so as to subsequentlytrack the instruments relative to the pelvis. Stated differently, theinstruments must be initialized (i.e., calibrated) for their orientationin the global coordinate system to be known. The instruments may be oneor more of an acetabular reamer 16, a cup impactor 17, an impactorguiding pin, cup validation device, etc used in surgery.

In an embodiment, the inertial sensor unit A used for the creating ofthe coordinate system 30 (e.g., that was on the medio-lateral digitizer13 or three-pronged registration device 14 shown in FIG. 1A) can bedetached therefrom after the registration 30 is completed while beingtracked by the tracking module 2B, and then be fixated onto thenavigated instrument (e.g., instruments 16 or 17) to preserve the globalcoordinate system, using the geometrical relation data module 2C betweenthe connector 5 and an instrument axis as programmed in the inertialsensor unit A. As mentioned above, the inertial sensors 4 of theinertial sensor unit A continuously track the orientation of theinertial sensor unit A while being fixated on the navigated instrument.As a result, the coordinate system now comprises an orientation of theinstrument relative to the pelvis.

It is contemplated to use more than one inertial sensor unit A, forinstance performing a transfer of data between inertial sensor units Ausing the same principle of known geometrical data for settingorientations in the coordinate system. The use of more than one inertialsensor unit A may allow a concurrent tracking of a bone and of aninstrument.

Navigation of Instrument 50

The setting 40 enables the determination of the three-axis orientationof the instrument 6, 7 by the CAS processing unit 2 in the globalcoordinate system. The setting 40 entails recording an orientation ofthe instruments using the geometrical relation data module 2C to providethe geometrical relation data between the instrument and the inertialsensor unit A. The tracking module 2A may thus track the orientation ofthe instruments in the coordinate system provided by the coordinatesystem module 2D. The CAS processing unit 2 may track orientationchanges of the instrument 16, 17 in the global coordinate system. i.e.,relative to the pelvis, using the readings of the inertial sensor unitA. The CAS processing unit 2 may for example provide inclination oranteversion data in real-time or quasi-real-time. Essentially, the datamay be regarded as the anticipated inclination and/or anteversion of theacetabular cup C if the tool alters the acetabulum in a given manner inthe case of a reamer 17, or based on current orientation of the impactor16 relative to the pelvis. The navigation data may be in an appropriateformat, such as numerical values, models of the bone and instrument, orvisual indications that desired or planned relative orientations betweeninstruments and bone are reached.

As mentioned previously, the navigated instrument may be an impactor 16,by which the acetabular cup C may be properly oriented prior toimpaction. In another embodiment, the navigated instrument is aninstrument used to secure an impactor guiding pin to the pelvis in adesired orientation, which pin can be used to guide the impactor evenbeyond the impaction. In yet another embodiment, the navigatedinstrument is a validation surface that can be positioned flat onto theacetabular cup C once impacted in order to validate the orientation ofthe acetabular cup C.

Updating Orientation of the Instrument in the Coordinate System 60

Over time, the tracking performed by the tracking module 2B of theinertial sensor unit A may lose precision. For example, dead reckoningoperations may become less accurate during the procedure, consideringthat dead reckoning involves integration of the angular velocity dataover time. Accordingly, at any point after the creating 30 of thecoordinate system, the CAS processing unit 2 may prompt the operator toupdate (a.k.a., reset, reinitialize) the orientation of the navigatedinstrument in the coordinate system. Different subprocedures or stepsmay be employed to update the coordinate system.

In an embodiment, the inertial sensor unit A has both a gyroscope and aninclinometer as inertial sensors 4. The inclinometer provides datarelated to two degrees of freedom (DOF) with regards to the orientationof the navigated instrument in the global coordinate system. Amaneuvering method is then required to update the orientation of theinstrument in the coordinate system in a missing axis of orientation,referred to as yaw, i.e., to update the tracking, such that by thismaneuvering method, readings may be obtained from the inertial sensorunit A on the instrument with the instrument being oriented in a knownorientation relative to the pelvis, in a known orientation module 2E.

One method considered to fix the yaw, i.e., reach the known orientation,is to use a planar light pod B as in FIG. 1A (i.e., a laser or lightsource which projects a line onto a surface) mounted to the navigatedinstrument 16 in a known orientation programmed in the known orientationmodule 2E, the instrument 16 having a cup-shaped end or cup implant C tobe received in the acetabulum. By orienting the instrument 16 such thatthe planar light pod B points the laser line onto both ASIS, the normalof the laser plane can be defined as being aligned with the Y axis ofthe coordinate system. Using this information, and knowing theorientation of the laser pod B with respect to the inertial sensor unitA and navigated instrument axis as programmed as geometrical relationdata module 2C in the CAS processing unit 2 (FIG. 1), the thirdrotational DOF is calculable by the known orientation module 2E, and theorientation of the instrument in the global coordinate system may beupdated or reset in the coordinate system module 2D.

In yet another embodiment, the navigated instrument is the acetabulumreamer 17, allowing the operator to orient the reaming device to reamaccording to plan.

In accordance with an alternative method, a support structure 18 (FIG.1A) is used to update the coordinate system by being fixed to thepelvis. The workflow would be as follows:

-   -   1 prior to dislocation, the support structure 18 is pinned or        secured to the pelvis, for example to the iliac crest, the        support structure 18 being of the type configured to receive an        inertial sensor unit A thereon;    -   2 the pelvic lateral tilt is registered using the medio-lateral        digitizer 13 (FIG. 1A) or any other calibrating tool with an        inertial sensor unit A thereon, in the manner described above,        and the coordinate system is created;    -   3 the inertial sensor unit A is then detached from the        medio-lateral digitizer 13 and then attached to the support        structure 18. Tracking is performed during the transfer to        preserve the orientation of the inertial sensor unit A in the        global coordinate system, and the orientation of the inertial        sensor unit A in the support structure 18 is recorded as a known        orientation by the known orientation module 2E;    -   4 the femoral head is then resected to allow access to the        acetabulum, other operations are performed, etc;    -   5 when updating 60 is necessary, the inertial sensor unit A is        attached to the support structure 18, and the inertial sensor        unit A retrieves the known orientation between the pelvis and        inertial sensor unit A in the support structure 18, to reset the        coordinate system with the coordinate system module 2E;    -   6 the inertial sensor unit A may then be connected to any        surgical instrument for subsequent navigating.

While the methods and systems described herein have been described andshown with reference to particular steps performed in a particularorder, it will be understood that these steps may be combined,subdivided or reordered to form an equivalent method without departingfrom the teachings of the present invention. Accordingly, the order andgrouping of the steps is not a limitation of the present invention. Themethod 10 may be performed on bone models or cadavers as well.

1. A computer-assisted surgery system comprising: at least onecalibrating instrument adapted to be applied to a pelvis in a knownmanner; at least one surgical instrument; a computer-assisted processorunit operating a surgical assistance procedure and comprising: at leastone portable inertial sensor unit configured to be connected to the atleast one calibrating instrument and the at least one surgicalinstrument, the portable inertial sensor unit outputting readingsrepresentative of its orientation; a geometrical relation data moduleproviding a geometrical relation data between the orientation of theportable inertial sensor unit, of the at least one calibratinginstrument and of the at least one surgical instrument; a coordinatesystem module for setting a coordinate system of the pelvis in which ananterior-posterior axis of the pelvis is generally in a direction ofgravity, and in which a medio-lateral axis of the pelvis is obtainedfrom readings of the at least one portable inertial sensor unit on theat least one calibrating instrument using the geometrical relation datatherebetween; a tracking module for tracking movements of the at leastone surgical instrument relative to the coordinate system using readingsfrom the inertial sensor unit on the surgical instrument using thegeometrical relation data therebetween, and calculating navigation datafor the movements, the navigation data relating the orientation of thesurgical instrument to the orientation of the pelvis; and an interfacefor outputting the navigation data.
 2. The computer-assisted surgerysystem according to claim 1, wherein the at least one calibratinginstrument is a medio-lateral digitizer adapted to contactanterior-superior iliac spines of the pelvis, and further wherein thecoordinate system module obtains a lateral tilt of the pelvis relativeto a cranial-caudal axis of the coordinate system from the medio-lateraldigitizer and aligns the medio-lateral axis with said lateral tilt. 3.The computer-assisted surgery system according to claim 1, wherein theat least one calibrating instrument is adapted to contactanterior-superior iliac spines and a pubic tubercle of the pelvis, andfurther wherein the coordinate system module obtains a tilt of thepelvis relative to a cranial-caudal axis and to the medio-lateral axisof the coordinate system, and aligns the antero-posterior axis and themedio-lateral axis with said lateral tilt.
 4. The computer-assistedsurgery system according to claim 1, wherein the surgical instrument isone of an impactor and an acetabulum reamer.
 5. The computer-assistedsurgery system according to claim 1, wherein the geometrical relationdata module, the coordinate system module and the tracking module areintegrated in the at least one portable inertial sensor unit.
 6. Thecomputer-assisted surgery system according to claim 5, furthercomprising a stand-alone processing device with interface communicatingwith the at least one portable inertial sensor unit, the stand-aloneprocessing device concurrently operating the surgical assistanceprocedure to provide guidance to a user.
 7. The computer-assistedsurgery system according to claim 1, further comprising an updatedorientation module having a known orientation of the inertial sensorunit relative to the pelvis, and wherein the coordinate system moduleupdates an orientation of the surgical instrument in the coordinatesystem using readings of the at least one portable inertial sensor unitwhen in said known orientation.
 8. The computer-assisted surgery systemaccording to claim 7, further comprising a support structure adapted tobe secured to the pelvis and having a mount for the portable inertialsensor unit, said known orientation comprising the portable inertialsensor unit in the support structure.
 9. The computer-assisted surgerysystem according to claim 7, wherein the at least one surgicalinstrument has a light source thereon emitting a planar beam, the knownorientation comprising the at least one surgical instrument projectingthe planar beam on predetermined landmarks of the pelvis.